It is often the case than an individual desires to walk about, bringing along a bulky and/or heavy objects, without carrying the item. Some individuals cannot carry heavy items and, on longer journeys, this frustrates and tires most people. For instance, wheelbarrows are often heavily loaded and difficult to manuever. Similarly, luggage is frequently weighty and obtrusive. Likewise, a golf bag is a heavy item to carry during a long round of golf.
Many individuals enjoy playing the sport of golf. Walking during the game is fun and provides exercise. Unfortunately, many people cannot walk a golf course because they are not comfortable carrying clubs. Further, maneuvering a mobile platform, such as a golf cart, often breaks a golfer's concentration, adversely affecting his or her game.
Riding in a golf cart does not provide the exercise which many golfers desire. Pull-carts cause discomfort and fatigue to many players.
In recent years, some motorized pull-carts have been developed to allow a user to walk a course. While limiting physical exertion needed to guide or pull the cart, these motorized carts still require the user to manually start, stop and control the cart. This means the user must constantly keep a hand on the cart while it is moving. Therefore, the user cannot fully concentrate on golf because he or she must control the cart.
Additionally, it is extremely difficult to maneuver a cart through some areas of a course. A golfer may be able to walk into such an area but the cart cannot follow. Therefore, the golfer must chose a club, walk to his ball and hit, return to the mobile platform, and then circumvent the area through which the mobile platform cannot proceed.
Recently, remote control golf carts have been developed, but they still require a user to constantly control the cart, this is distracting as well as potentially dangerous.
Further, manually operated motorized carts slow down as they move up hills and speed up going down hills, This change of speed is uncomfortable for the golfer.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need yet remains for a mobile platform which automatically tracks the user at a relatively constant speed, and which has a manual remote control override for moving through particularly rough terrain. It is to the provision of such a mobile platform that the present invention is directed.